Wisdom Teeth Surgery

If your wisdom teeth are giving you problems, or if you would just like a check up on them to put your mind at ease, then we will examine your teeth and inform you of the situation. If you are experiencing problems with your wisdom teeth, then we will assess your situation, and let you know whether your teeth need to be surgically removed, or if they can be repaired. We carry out surgical removal of wisdom teeth here at Sydenham Dental. Interest free payment plans are available.

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We look forward to hearing from you. If your enquiry is urgent, please call us straight away and let us know and we’ll book you in for same day treatment (during surgery hours) to relieve you of pain.

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What are Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars in your teeth – generally you have four. These wisdom teeth typically develop from your late teens to early twenties. Wisdom teeth can be a valuable asset if they are healthily formed, however, unfortunately they are frequently misaligned and angled horizontally or angled towards or away from the second molars. This may cause problems with other teeth, the jawbone and the nerves and require removal.

If you are suffering with pain from your wisdom teeth, or they are impacting your other teeth, call us on 03 366 7429 to make an appointment with one of our dentists. We can advise the best course of action for your wisdom teeth, and whether or not they will need to be removed.

Wisdom Teeth Problems

Wisdom teeth can suffer a range of problems that may result in pain, infection, cysts and crowding. Some common problems that may occur include:

Infection or decay — Sometimes wisdom teeth may only partially erupt (grow out of the gums), when this happens an opening allowing the infection of bacteria is formed. Unfortunately, the awkward positioning often makes it hard to clean and floss the tooth, consequently both wisdom tooth and the gums may become diseased and infected. If the tooth becomes infected this can lead to swelling, pain, jaw stiffness and illness.

Damage from an impacted tooth — An impacted tooth is a tooth which has grown in an abnormal position – either part way out of the gum, or not at all. This tooth may then grow into a neighbouring tooth, causing damage and infection.

Cysts — If a wisdom tooth fails to erupt (break through the gum), cysts can form. These cysts can cause damage to the bone, your nerves and surrounding teeth if not quickly addressed.

These issues can be prevented, or the damage can be halted, with surgical extraction of the problem teeth.

Recovery and Issues After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Recovery depends on a number of factors including how straightforward your extraction was, but as a general guide there are some of the typical symptoms and things to watch out for.

Bleeding – First you can expect bleeding for maybe several hours after your wisdom teeth have been extracted. The bleeding should stop after a dried blood clot has been formed.

Facial Swelling – After wisdom teeth extraction you can expect some facial swelling, but this will soon subside.

Pain – Unfortunately you can expect to experience some pain for a while afterwards, you can take prescribed painkillers to numb this.

Diet – For a while after an extraction you should avoid hard foods, avoid sucking motions that may dislodge the blood clot (like drinking through straws) and try to eat liquid and soft foods.

Tooth Brushing – You can continue to brush your teeth, but avoid the area immediately around your extraction.

Dry Socket – Dry socket is where your blood clot has failed, this can lead to moderate to severe pain and cause a foul mouth odour. Dry socket typically occurs 3-4 days after your wisdom tooth has been pulled. If this happens, contact us so that we can treat it for you.

Paresthesia – Paresthesia is rarer and is caused by damage or trauma to the nerves as a result of your wisdom tooth removal. You may feel numbness in parts of the mouth like the tongue, lip or chin, this may last a few days or longer. In extreme circumstances it may be permanent.